Symphonies

Characteristics
Era
Composition Year(s)
I
Allegro
Beginning Key Dmin/Cmaj
Time Signature 4 4
Form
Texture Harmonic
1 subject group: bars 1 to 6
First movt has many parts to it
Idea of continous development (develops idea from start)
[this can be found in Beethoven's 9th Symphony]
Compresses the recapitulation
Second subject/Closing subject tapers off suggesting transition?
Bars 22 and 23 - Timp - Anticipates rythym of second movement
Notes
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 4 Carl Nielsen
Romantic/Modern
1914-1916
Orchestration
3 Flutes (with 1 Piccolo doubling)
3 Oboes
3 Clarinets
3 Bassoons (with 1 Contrabassoon doubling)
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Tuba
2 Timpanis
2 Violins
2 Violas
Cello
Division
4 'Parts'
Double Bass
Page 1
Symphonies
Notes
Page 2
Symphonies
II
Poco allegreto
Gmaj
2 4
Scherzo/Ternary
Polyphonic - Chamber Music
Intermezzo
Soft, playful
Rhythm previously anticpated found in Violin at beginning
Chamber music style in the winds
This movt is primarly winds
Grouped for Ternary:
A - Chamber music
B - Strings join with pizzicato
A - Exclusively winds
ABA leads us to deduce that it could be a Scherzo/Slow Movement
But it really functions as a dance movt/intermezzo
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 4 Carl Nielsen
Romantic/Modern
1914-1916
3 Flutes (with 1 Piccolo doubling)
3 Oboes
3 Clarinets
3 Bassoons (with 1 Contrabassoon doubling)
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Tuba
2 Timpanis
2 Violins
2 Violas
Cello
4 'Parts'
Double Bass
Page 3
Symphonies
Page 4
Symphonies
III
Poco adagio quasi andante
Emaj?
4 4
Polyphonic
Orchestral
Minor Mode character
Very motific (long melodies built up of small fragments)
Chamber style again at 34
Minor/Major contrast (at 34)
[rhythm at 35 in Flutes, like Beethoven Piano Concerto 4 II movt]
Major Mode character (at 35)
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 4 Carl Nielsen
Romantic/Modern
1914-1916
3 Flutes (with 1 Piccolo doubling)
3 Oboes
3 Clarinets
3 Bassoons (with 1 Contrabassoon doubling)
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Tuba
2 Timpanis
2 Violins
2 Violas
Cello
4 'Parts'
Double Bass
Page 5
Symphonies
Page 6
Symphonies
IV
Allegro
Emaj
3 4
Harmonic
Begins with first movt's second theme rhythm
Bars 6 and 7 after 45 in the Flutes returns as a strong conclusion later
Struggle between Romanticism and Modernism in the syphony is rife
But in the end, Romanticism triumphs
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 4 Carl Nielsen
Romantic/Modern
1914-1916
3 Flutes (with 1 Piccolo doubling)
3 Oboes
3 Clarinets
3 Bassoons (with 1 Contrabassoon doubling)
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Tuba
2 Timpanis
2 Violins
2 Violas
Cello
4 'Parts'
Double Bass
Page 7
Symphonies
Page 8
Symphonies
I
Allegro con brio
Cmin
2 4
Sonata
French Horns, Trumpets, Strings prominent through whole symphony
Exposition
1st Theme - Cminor
2nd Theme - Relative major (Cmaj) repeat
Recap
C major
built up on very short periods (choppy, suppressed, angry)
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical
1804-1808
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
2 Horns
2 Trumpets
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
3 Trombones (Alto, Tenor, Bass Movement IV only)
Cello
Double Bass
Piccolo (Movement IV only)
4 Movements
Contrabassoon (Movement IV only)
Page 9
Symphonies
Page 10
Symphonies
II
Andante con moto
Ab maj to C maj
3 4
Double variation
Classical Era: Min work II movt commonly in submediant maj
[eg: Mozart D minor Concerto (Movt II in Bb maj)]
[eg: Brahms Symphony Cmin (Movt II in Ab maj)]
First section in submediant major (Ab maj)
Second section in mediant major (C maj)
Cmaj is the tonic major of the sumphony
Cmaj prepares the listener for the Cmaj of the finale
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical
1804-1808
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
2 Horns
2 Trumpets
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
3 Trombones (Alto, Tenor, Bass Movement IV only)
Cello
Double Bass
Piccolo (Movement IV only)
4 Movements
Contrabassoon (Movement IV only)
Page 11
Symphonies
Page 12
Symphonies
III
Scherzo. Allegro
Cmin to Cmaj and back
3 4
Minuet (Scherzo) and Trio - Ternary
Scherzo - Cmin - "Mangled Binary"
Theme A
Varied A
Codetta
Trio - Cmaj - Rounded Binary
Theme B
Modified B
Soft transition back to the abbreviated Scherzo
Timps throughout, fragments of the Scherzo heard
Transforms to C major
Mysterious, almost threatening
Builds up from dark C minor coda
To a bright dominant 7th tremolo string chord
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical
1804-1808
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
2 Horns
2 Trumpets
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
3 Trombones (Alto, Tenor, Bass Movement IV only)
Cello
Double Bass
Piccolo (Movement IV only)
4 Movements
Contrabassoon (Movement IV only)
Page 13
Symphonies
Page 14
Symphonies
IV
Allegro
Cmaj to Gmaj to C
4 4
Sonata
Exposition
Theme 1 - Transtion - Cmaj to Gmaj
Theme 2 - Scherzo - Gmaj, flattened sixth
Development
Almost exclusively develops Theme 2 (Movt III link)
Recapitulation
Theme 1 stays in C maj
Theme 2 stays in C maj , flattened sixth
Coda
Theme 2
Followed by a version of Theme 1
Final chord
Open 5th in C - not maj or min
Orchestration note:
Unusual piccolo and trombones
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical
1804-1808
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
2 Horns
2 Trumpets
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
3 Trombones (Alto, Tenor, Bass Movement IV only)
Cello
Double Bass
Piccolo (Movement IV only)
4 Movements
Contrabassoon (Movement IV only)
Page 15
Symphonies
Page 16
Symphonies
I
Allegro molto moderato
D Dorian mode creates ambiguity
2 2
Free Sonata form
Polyphonic
Difficult to make out key
No key signature C maj?
Begins with a slow introduction
Fig Y Oboes 2 bars after A to be developed
Fig X Flutes 6 bars after A to be mainly developed
37 Bars after A strong modal passage ends in dissonance
Beginning of main part of movt at B
Same tempo, but faster rhythms
First 'Subject' Flutes/Oboes 1 bar after B
Second 'Subject' Violin 12 bars after B
Codetta rounds off this beginning at 15 bars after C
Dev based on Fig X at D
Fig X seen - Violins at D
Just before F, Fig X used contrapuntally in overlapping imitation
Fig Y seen Cello 2 bars after F
Fig X seen Cello 4 bars after F
6 Bars after F imitative polyphony based on Fig X
This imitative polyphony continues right until 6 bars after G
A 'hidden' Recap appears 7 bars after G
Apparent slowing down using rhythm rather than tempo
Enters as a sound mass into texture (of slow opening section) of the Dev
The melody of the intro is placed in the warm middle range of the cello
In this way, it dominates the music and becomes prominent in this passage
Recap at I
New figure replaces first subject suggests Modern
Recap is expanded compared to the Expo
Abrupt change to the expected Codetta at K
Coda
First real change of tempo (to Poco allargando)
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 6 Jean Sibelius
Modern
1923
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Harp
Double Bass
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
4 Movements
Cello
Page 17
Symphonies
Horn chords sound threatening
First negative mood in the movt
2 Bars after L High point of threatening mood
Winds question 5 Bars after L
Brass answer threateningly at M
7 Bars after M Threatening passage resolves
Massive Cmaj chord
Most important secondary harmony in dorian mode
Equivalent of perfect cadence in dorian mode
Page 18
Symphonies
II
Allegretto moderato
G minor
3 4
Homophonic
Opening
Based on D melodic minor desc
Of major and minor, this is closest to the Dorian
The rising pattern of this scale creates ambiguity
Continues the ambiguity from the first movt
Uses unexpected/ambiguous chords
Bar 10 shows the clear shift to 3 4 (long,short)
The chords created by the flutes and oboes 2 bars before A
suggest, but do not reach the key of Gmin. This continues
tonal ambiguity in the symphony as a whole.
This is intensified by the Eb D resolution, which rises a maj 7
th
instead of falling a semitone.
Theme 1 Violins A
Theme 2 Violins 7 bars after A
Sequence of rising scales 7 bars after A (see Fig Y)
12 Bars after C rhythm shifts to triplets (once again fast thanks to rhythm)
Sound masses just before E
Texture becomes polyphonic
Theme 1,2 combined Violins 8 bars after E
Fig Z Flutes 3 bars after F
Coda at G
Semiquavers make it seem faster
Develops figures such as Fig Z
Sibelius's Finnish inspiration?
Describing valley/sunshine he 'puts in his music'?
Final chords
In Gmin: i V IV - i
Plagal cadence (IV i) in minor key with raised 6
th
(E)
Sustains ambiguity of the key
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 6 Jean Sibelius
Modern
1923
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Harp
Double Bass
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
4 Movements
Cello
Page 19
Symphonies
Page 20
Symphonies
III
Poco vivace
D Dorian mode
6 8
Homophonic
Opening
Theme 1 Violins Bar 1
Theme 2 Violins Bar 13
Subsidiary idea Oboes 5 bars before A
10 bars after A present a 'fuller' version of Theme 2 by the flutes
Alternating accompaniment' at B
Shows homophonic texture with accompaniment alternating between
winds and string with 1
st
Violin carrying melody
5 bars after D brass interrupts this pattern with a blast
Change to triplets (six semiquavers)
This section creates an opening for a gradual return to the opening
7 bars after D Gradual Return to Opening
Free reprise of 1
st
half of movt.
Coda 4 bars after I
Ominous brass chords dominate the Coda
The third movt's themes continue the ambiguity of the other two
movts by generally avoiding the 6
th
and 7
th
degrees of the scale.
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 6 Jean Sibelius
Modern
1923
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Harp
Double Bass
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
4 Movements
Cello
Page 21
Symphonies
Page 22
Symphonies
IV
Allegro molto
D Dorian mode
4 4
Introduction
Choral' melody
Harmonically reminiscent of the 1
st
movt
Exposition/Beginning of Main Movt at B
Theme 1 Violins 5 bars after B
Theme 1 alternates between Violin and Viola
Theme 1's Eb gives impression of a Neopolitan
Theme 2 Violins 3 bars after C
Theme 2 has elements from Fig X and Z
Theme 2: note the B natural
2 bars after D: Strong modal cadence: Dmin Cmaj
in lieu of codetta
6 bars after D Fully written out repeat of expo
3 bars after F Chromatic sequences and dissident Modern harmonies
create a very tense atmosphere
Development at G
This is based extensively on Theme 2
The threatening brass is strongly present
5 bars after G dev of Theme 2 inverted
Second part of Dev at I
Based on opening choral, but faster and harmonically distorted
19 Bars after D Flutes reveal Theme 1 to be derived from the
opening choral
The choral melody would usually return in the Coda, but here the choral
returns in a faster form together with a fragment of Theme 1 which
suggests a Recap
Coda 1 bar after O
Proper, slow version of the choral
16 bars after P Formerly Cmaj cadential chord, becomes an open
SYMPHONIES
Symphony No. 6 Jean Sibelius
Modern
1923
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
4 Horns
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Harp
Double Bass
Timpani
2 Violins
Viola
4 Movements
Cello
Page 23
Symphonies
5
th
in A (the dominant), which resolves into a unison D
Page 24